The $694,000 contract was awarded to R.E. Burns & Sons Co. Inc. of Statesville. Work can begin as early as March 15, 2013, with completion scheduled for no later than Aug. 15, 2013. Once the bridge is open, the contractor will continue landscaping and vegetation work until Feb. 11, 2014.

During construction of the new bridge, Kimesville Road will be closed between Euliss Road and Foster Store Road. Motorists will use the following signed detour route:

Euliss Road to Smith Road to Foster Store Road.

The existing bridge was built in 1956 and is considered structurally deficient and functionally obsolete. This means the bridge is safe, but it needs to be replaced to meet current and future traffic demands.

This is one of 22 contracts totaling $67.1 million awarded by Conti in November for highway and bridge projects across North Carolina. NCDOT awarded the contracts to the lowest bidders, as required by state law. The bids received on the projects awarded came in about 6.2 percent, or $4.5 million, below NCDOT estimates.

Since Gov. Bev Perdue took office in January of 2009, NCDOT has awarded 749 highway contracts totaling $5.1 billion to ensure that all North Carolinians have access to jobs and educational opportunities. Gov. Perdue continues to support immediate jobs in the construction sector and the goal of ensuring that our transportation network facilitates access to jobs, education and healthcare for the future.

For more information about funding for infrastructure improvements in North Carolina, as well as other NCDOT projects and activities, visit www.ncdot.gov.